Forgotten statue kept in a margarine tub is 2,000-year-old treasure
A 2,000-year-old Roman statuette (小雕像) of a silver-eyed goddess Minerva kept in a plastic margarine tub (黄油容器）for more than a decade is among a record number of treasure discoveries.
The British Museum on Tuesday revealed the details of 1,267 finds ________England, Welsh, Northern Ireland, more than what has ever been found since the Treasure Act was _____in 1996. They include everything from _____ metalwork to a 17th-century pocket watch ______the goddess with the silver eyes was particularly______. It was discovered by a detectorist in a field more than a decade ago but it was _______to be fake, nothing more than a ______. The landowner ______ the statuette in a large, empty margarine tub and ______forgot about it.
This year Len Jackman asked the farmer ______he could search for treasures on his land and was told about the statuette in the tub. The statuette of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, __________ from the first or second century and would most likely have been on a shrine (神殿；神龛). Her head has been removed from the body but to even find her head was _____, said archaeologists.
“It is such an amazing object and it could make an amazing object for a museum ______if that's what happens to it,” said Michael Lewis, the head at the British Museum. “It really is one of the most ______ pieces of bronze age gold that I've seen.”
In the 1970s and 80s there was a(an) ______by some archaeologists to stop metaldetecting. Lewis said “There was a ______on both sides about ______ the other was up to. There was an idea that metal detecting was all about finding things for_______ gain and ruining archaeology.” Over the years it has been realized that there are a lot of people ______ in the past, quite happy for the objects to go in to museums. We’re still on a journey, and it is very ______ that the right people are doing metal detecting.” said Michael Ellis.
1.A.among B.beside C.across D.alongside
2.A.claimed B.applied C.agreed D.approved
3.A.historical B.prehistoric C.contemporary D.historic
4.A.but B.and C.because D.although
5.A.striking B.beautiful C.specific D.efficient
6.A.subscribed B.assumed C.wiped D.interpreted
7.A.copy B.design C.statuette D.treasure
8.A.deserted B.threw C.placed D.lifted
9.A.now and then B.time to time C.here and there D.more or less
10.A.unless B.what C.if D.that
11.A.traces B.dates C.tracks D.passes
12.A.challenging B.outstanding C.permanent D.reasonable
13.A.quality B.quantity C.procedure D.collection
14.A.moral B.delicate C.common D.extinguished
15.A.motion B.activity C.campaign D.parade
16.A.mistake B.mission C.duty D.misunderstanding
17.A.how B.however C.who D.what
18.A.financial B.beneficial C.neutral D.vital
19.A.engaged B.interested C.involved D.buried
20.A.awkward B.bold C.significant D.casual
How to Overcome Procrastination (拖延症)
If you've ever put off an important task, you know it wouldn’t be fair to describe yourself as lazy. This is just procrastination.
“Procrastination” is derived from the Latin verb procrastinare — to put off until tomorrow. But it's more than just voluntarily delaying. 1.. It means doing something against our better judgment.
We must realize that procrastination is about emotions, not productivity. 2.. Nor are we able to overcome it only by learning ways of self-control. It has to do with managing our emotions in a new way.
3.. This is what researchers found. Students who were able to forgive themselves for procrastinating when studying for a first exam ended up procrastinating less when studying for their next exam. They concluded that self-forgiveness might guarantee future success. It allows students to move pass their improper behavior and focus on the next exam without burden.
Another choice is to make your temptations (诱惑) less attractive. 4.. We can put obstacles between ourselves and our temptations to create a sense of frustration or anxiety. If you keep checking your social media, say, your WeChat, delete those apps from your phone for a while.
Researchers also suggested that we make the things we want to do as easy as possible for ourselves. 5., sleep in your exercise clothes.
A.That may be easier said than done
B.One choice is to explore our curiosity
C.If you feel like running early in the morning
D.So we can’t just download a time management app
E.One option is to forgive yourself when you procrastinate
F.Procrastination also came from the ancient Greek word akrasia
G.It’s still easier to change our surroundings than changing ourselves
IKEA (瑞典宜家家具公司) is set to launch (上市) an air-purifying curtain coated with a mineral-based surface that breaks down common pollutants. The surface of the curtain is treated with a photocatalyst (光催化剂) mineral that causes air pollution to break down when light shines through it, allowing users to purify the air in their own homes.
The technology works in a similar way to photosynthesis - the natural process that plants and some other organisms use to change carbon dioxide and water into food, using light.
Developed over several years by IKEA in collaboration with universities across Europe and Asia, the purifying technology works with both natural and artificial light. “For me, it’s important to work on products that solve actual problems and are relevant to people,” explained IKEA product developer Mauricio Affonso. “We are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution that also makes the home more beautiful,” he continued.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that even now, 91 percent of the world's population live in areas where air pollution goes over WHO guideline limits. The effects of poor air kill about seven million people worldwide each year, research by the WHO has found.
“Besides enabling people to breathe better air at home, we hope that the curtain will increase people's awareness of indoor air pollution, inspiring behavioral changes that contribute to a world of clean air,” said IKEA head of sustainability Lena Pripp-Kovac. “It is the first product to use the technology, but the development will give us opportunities for future applications on other textiles (纺织品).”
“We know that there is no single solution to air pollution. We work long term for positive change, to enable people to live healthier lives,” added Pripp-Kovac.
1.What do we know about the air-purifying curtain?
A.It needs light to work. B.It keeps the pollutants out.
C.It's made from a mineral. D.It works as a photocatalyst.
2.What did Mauricio Affonso think of the curtain?
A.costly B.practical
C.power-saving D.obvious
3.What’s the advantage of the curtain?
A.It helps decrease the world population. B.It purifies the air in the city.
C.It changes people’s bad habits. D.It promotes green lives.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.IKEA's profitable eco curtains.
B.IKEA's plan to decrease air pollution.
C.IKEA's efforts to make a healthier life.
D.IKEA's eco curtains to improve indoor air quality.
They have beaten us at chess, and now computers are taking a step into a very human territory: the reading comprehension test.
Alibaba said its artificial research outperformed human beings in a global reading comprehension test that seeks answers to such pressing questions as “what was Nikola Tesla’s ethnicity (种族划分)?” and “how big is the Amazon rainforest?”
Luo Si described the machines’ victory as “a milestone”. He said the technology has many uses, from customer service to museum tutorial (教程) to medical inquires — some of which are already being handled by chatbots globally.
In the test, companies subjected their artificial intelligence systems to questions from the Stanford Question Answering Dataset, which assessed reading comprehension. The computers’ answers were compared against average human responses and ranked.
Tying (打平) in top place were Microsoft, the US software giant, and Alibaba, and — like its peers at home and abroad - is putting more funds into AI, much of it via its research arm.
While Microsoft and Alibaba won by the slimmest of margins (幅度) — at accuracy levels a few basis points (基点) above humans’ 82.3 per cent in providing exact matches to questions- the tie provided a symbol of the AI arms race (军备竞赛) launched by the US and China.
China aims to use its vast data, collected from its 1.4 billion population including 730 million who are online, and financial resources to overtake the US in creating a $150 billion industry that is seen as the next industrial revolution.
Baidu made an early bet on AI, and is leading its rivals in autonomous driving. Tencent, which boasts 1 billion monthly active users on its social media WeChat app, and Alibaba have adopted AI in operations such as customizing news and ads, and are investing in new fields.
1.What does Luo Si think of AI’s performance in reading comprehension?
A.He feels frightened at it. B.He has some doubts about it.
C.He thinks highly of it. D.He considers it worth a try.
2.What does China depend on to lead in AI?
A.The new industrial revolution.
B.The huge market of $150 billion industry investment.
C.The vast amount of data from its 1.4 billion population.
D.The cooperation between Chinese government and Microsoft.
3.In which field does Baidu do better than its rivals?
A.The medical enquiries. B.The customer service.
C.Customer news feeds. D.The driverless cars.
I've enjoyed countless gatherings of Thanksgiving, from traditional family gatherings to feasts with many new faces. Yet at age 65, I have never spent the holiday with a husband or children of my own.
If you feel pity for me, please don’t — I am proud of the decision I made decades ago to change from life’s conventional road map, and I have no regrets about it. I enjoy being alone.
I found my life deeply rewarding. At the same time, I was fascinated with the question of why my adult life as a single person was not as valued by the people around me or by society. When people learned I was single with no children, they assumed my life had a hole that needed filling.
I wondered: Was it just me, or were other single people viewed the same way? I teamed up with my colleague, Wendy Morris, and she and I began a series of studies investigating how people characterize single and married people. The research shows that single people typically have more friends than married people do. They also do more to help, support, and stay in touch with their parents, friends, and neighbors.
I’ve lived my life in cheerful, unapologetic refusal of the “get married, have kids” road map. But getting married is deeply ingrained in our society, and it can be difficult to break completely free of the marriage-plus-children ideal.
The research and the books, though, are not enough. We all need to think about life more open-mindedly. Instead of asking whether you do or don't want to marry or have kids, ask: What will make your life meaningful and fulfilling? When you think about it that way, the possibilities are limitless.
1.What do we know about the author?
A.She enjoys living in a lonely house. B.She seldom stays with her husband.
C.She feels regretful about her life. D.She prefers to live her life alone.
2.How do the people think about the author’s single life?
A.rewarding B.empty
C.valuable D.fascinating
3.What did the author find in her research?
A.Single people are more helpful. B.Single people are not respected.
C.Married people have few friends. D.Married people are careless in life.
4.What's the meaning of the underlined word “ingrained” in the fifth paragraph?
A.influenced B.disturbed
C.rooted D.hurt
Popularly known as the “Oriental Hawaii,” Sanya in South China’s Hainan province is considered as one of the best diving resorts in the South Pacific Ocean. The followings are the top four places for diving in the city.
Wuzhizhou Island
Wuzhizhou Island is regarded as the best place in Hainan province for underwater diving. It is one of the few islands in the world without rocks. The island covers an area of 1.48 square kilometers and is in an irregular butterfly shape. The sea around the island is clear, providing a visibility of 6 to 27 meters.
Xidao Island
Xidao Island is shaped like a turtle living in the tropical area. It is also the largest of a series of islands in Sanya. Located 8 nautical miles off the coast, the island enjoys surroundings of sandy beaches and rocky caves. It also has clear waters with a wide variety of underwater animals to explore.
Dadonghai Bay
Dadonghai Bay, surrounded by hills on three sides, is a moon-shaped bay. The area enjoys agreeable weather all year round, with the water temperature keeping about 20℃ even in winter. Though the water here is not as clear as that in Yalong Bay and Wuzhizhou Island, this diving spot is easier to get to.
Fenjiezhou Island
Fenjiezhou Island is also called the Sleeping Beauty Island for what it looks like from afar. It is a national 5A scenic area in Lingshui Li autonomous county. It is the only site in the country that allows visitors to dive with dolphins. In addition to possessing a range of marine recreational programs, the island has the only sightseeing submarine in China, which is 18.6 meters long and can accommodate 46 people.
Regulations for underwater diving:
1. Applicants who are in good health and over 7 years old are allowed to dive.
2. People who are drunk or have heart disease or high blood pressure are not allowed to dive.
3. Be sure to travel with your diving instructor.
4. Several gestural languages must be mastered before diving: OK, going up, going down, uncomfortable, poisonous living creatures, and no touching.
Click here to enjoy the breath-taking scenery of these beautiful resorts.
1.Which is the largest among these four places?
A.Wuzhizhou Island B.Xidao Island
C.Dadonghai Bay D.Fenjiezhou Island
2.Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Wuzhizhou Island is the only island in the world without rocks.
B.The four places are all animal-shaped.
C.People are not permitted to dive alone without an instructor.
D.People can feel free to touch underwater animals when diving.
3.Which of the following people can get a chance of diving?
A.a drunk man B.a child aged 6
C.a man with heart disease D.a graduate in good health
4.You may find this passage from .
A.a website B.a travel brochure
C.a geography book D.a newspaper
